494 Proceedings. 



Ohihiary. — Tt is with regret that the Council has to record the deaths of Sir Jolin 

 Denniston, Mr. T. W. Adams, and Mr. Gilbert Anderson, all of whom were members 

 of long standing, who had taken a keen interest in the activities of the Institute. The 

 Council further takes this opportunity of recording its sense of the loss to the Institute 

 and to the cause of science resulting from the death of the late Major Broun, New 

 Zealand's foremost coleopterist. 



Fellowship's of the JSew Zealand Institute. — The Council has pleasure in announcing 

 that, in accordance with the regulations, the first election of Fellows of the New 

 Zealand Institute has been held, and that three of our members are now original 

 Fellows — viz.. Dr. Charles Chilton, Dr. C. C. Farr, and Mr. R. Speight. The congratula- 

 tions of the Institute are extended to these gentlemen on the distinction conferred 

 upon them. 



Government Research Grants. — The Clovemment this year voted £2,000 to the New 

 Zealand Institute for the purjaose of providing research grants. On the application of 

 the Council the following grants were made to members : £225 to Mr. R. Speight for 

 a geological survey of the Malvern Hills ; £100 to I>r. C. C. Farr for research on the 

 porositA'' of porcelain used for making insulators ; £100 to Mr. G. Brittin for researches 

 on fruit-tree diseases ; and £70 to £100 to Mr. W. Morrison for research on afforestation 

 on the Spencer Ranges. For various reasons, the researches on prevention of frosting 

 in orchards and causes of decay in fruit in cold storage have had to be discontinued, 

 and the grants have been returned. 



Co-ordination of Science and Industry. — -The Council has continued to press on the 

 responsible authorities the necessity for some means of makmg known to manufacturers 

 the latest scientific discoveries relating to their various industries. The Council has 

 urged the immediate appointment of an Industrial Reader, and later of a Department 

 of Scientific Research, and in this connection has had the benefit of a consultation with 

 Mr. C. M. Ollivier (Chairman of the Christchurch Bi-anch of the Canterbury Progress 

 League). Copies of a report on the same topic by a committee of the Industrial 

 Association of Canterbury have been tabled. A donation of £10 has again been made 

 towards the equipment of the Technological Section of the Public Library, which the 

 Institute was instrumental in having established. 



General Meetings of the New Zealand Institute — Science Congress, 1919. — At the 

 invitation of the Pliilosophical Institute of Canterbury the Board of Governors of the 

 New Zealand Institute decided, at the annual meeting in January, 1918, to hold a series 

 of public meeting of the members of the Institute at Christchurch early in the year 1919. 

 During the year 1918 preliminary arrangements for the programme were made by the 

 Standing Committee of the New Zealand Institute, while the local arrangements were 

 attended to by the Philosojihical Institute. In November, 1918, owing to the ilhiess of 

 some members of the sub-committee of the New Zealand Institute that was dealing with 

 the matter, and other causes, the Standing Committee asked the Philosophical Institute 

 to take over the whole control of the preparation for the meetings. This was done, 

 and, although unexpected difficulties arose as the result of the influenza epidemic, the 

 series of meetings was successfully held from 4th to 8th February, 1919, and was largely 

 attended both by visitors from other parts of New Zealand and hy the members of the 

 local pubUc. His Excellency the Governor-General and the Mmister of Internal Affairs 

 were present at the opening meeting, at which the President, Dr. L. Cockayne, delivered 

 his presidential address. The scientific papers contributed were so numerous that four 

 Sections had to be arranged to meet simultaneously — viz., (1) Biology and Agriculture ; 

 (2) Geology; (3) Chemistry, Physics, and Engineering; (4) General — and on the last day 

 of the Congress ]the first Section was separated into two subsections. Biology and Agri- 

 culture, in order to deal with the pajiers contributed. In addition to the meetings of 

 the Sections, three evening meetings, besides the opening ceremony, were devoted to 

 public lectures and were largely attended, while general excursions were made to Lake 

 Coleridge, the Agricultural College, Riccarton Bush, Dyer's Pass, &c., and sectional 

 excursions to places of scientific and industrial interest. The Institute is greatly 

 indebted to the Board of Governors of Canterbury College for the use of the College 

 buildings for the meetings, and to numerous residents of Christchurch for the hospitality 

 extended to visiting -members, particularly to E. F. Stead, Esq., at whose residence a 

 most enjoyable garden party was held. The Council feels that the success of the 

 meetings, and their influence, both in stimulating the scientfic work of the Institute and 

 of bringing its results prominently before the public, fully compensate for the labour 

 involved, and it trusts that similar general meetings of the Institute will be held in other 

 parts of New Zealand at suitable intervals. 



The Library. — The accommodation in the library is now greatly overtaxed, and 

 great difficulty is experienced in finding room for new volumes. It has therefore been 

 necessary to make some provision for increasing the accommodation, and representations 



